


Origin Stories: The Start of an End

by Samstrykez7



Series: The Valkyrie and The Viking: Anecdotes and Origin Stories [1]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Judy/Maiko (Mentioned), Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:34:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29192361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samstrykez7/pseuds/Samstrykez7
Summary: Judy receives a confusing invitation that kickstarts more than she could have ever realized.
Relationships: Judy Alvarez & Evelyn Parker
Series: The Valkyrie and The Viking: Anecdotes and Origin Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143248
Kudos: 7





	1. Hook, Line & Sinker

**Author's Note:**

> Working on a big twin fic, that'll probably take me a while to actually post, but I wanted to write a series of "Origin Stories" and fun "Anecdotes" as their own fics so I wouldn't have to bog down the main story with exposition. It'll help improve my writing skills a bit as well, so constructive criticism is welcomed. 
> 
> Playlist:   
> Fashion Week (It’s different remix) -blackbear  
> Here- Alessia Cara

Judy takes a sip of her champagne, attempting to still her nerves, but it looks like liquid gold in her glass, and she can practically taste the eddies.

A bottle of it was probably worth more than her rent. 

Needless to say, it wasn’t providing much comfort in her current situation. It made her feel even more out of place, drinking expensive champagne in an expensive outfit at an expensive hotel. 

There’s a reassuring hand on her shoulder and familiar presence, her one saving grace of the night.

“You really oughta relax, Judy” The woman next to her is also in very expensive clothing and drinking very expensive champagne but looks significantly more comfortable and at ease with it.

Neither of them had paid for any of it. 

_ One week ago (May 20th, 2076) _

Lizzie’s Bar had just been closing up for the night when an Arasaka branded AV landed outside, and a woman stepped out, black suit with red accents, standard Arasaka getup. 

The woman must’ve shelled out a decent amount of scratch because Judy had promptly been pulled from her den by Susie.

“Don’t know what you got into this time, but there’s a corpo here for you upstairs. Go take care of it.”

So that was how she ended up here, sitting in this booth, invitation in hand. 

Completely Dumbfounded.

**_Greetings Ms. Alvarez,_ **

**_We at Konpeki Plaza would like to formally invite you to join us in celebrating the Official Grand Opening of our new luxurious Braindance parlor; featuring premium, BDs made using the latest cutting edge technology available. It will be luxury like no other, exclusive to Konpeki Plaza Hotels…._ **

As it goes on and on about Konpeki Plaza’s luxuries, she skims past it, straight to the crucial details. The event was taking place this Friday, she was allowed to bring a guest, and she’d have one of their VIP suites for that entire weekend; so she could  _ take her time and fully experience all the luxuries Konpeki Plaza has to offer. _ Was there some kind of quota they had to meet for the word “Luxury”? 

**_Please use the enclosed datashard to acquire your formal attire provided courtesy of Jinguji._ ** __ **_*Guest included*_ **

_ What the fuck.  _

The invitation sounded far too official to be fake. It was printed out on very high-quality paper, and she’s half-convinced the text itself was printed with real gold ink. 

“Can we expect to see you there, Ms. Alvarez?”

“Um--” 

“Here, on the house” Evelyn slips into the booth beside her, a disarmingly charming smile in place. She sets down a glass of their top-shelf Armagnac. 

“My drink of choice” The woman cocks an eyebrow “how’d you know?”

Evelyn shrugs. “I’ve got an eye for these things,” she leans in a bit, teasingly, “Or maybe I just got lucky.” 

Judy spots Rita out of the corner of her eye, close enough for comfort, and she can feel her anxiety begin to subside. 

She takes a deep breath, finally able to piece her thoughts together. Evelyn’s interruption had given her a moment to think. It was evident that they wanted to hire her and had likely heard about her track record with the major BD studios.

Judy always turned their offers down. 

Arasaka knew how to grab her attention, though. This hook was a little too enticing for her to pass up. There wasn’t any actual mention in the invitation that a job offer was on the table. She could go, check out these “Cutting Edge” BDs, listen to their pitch, and delta the fuck out of there afterward. No strings attached.

Judy brings her focus back to the Corpo, “I’ll be there.” 

The woman nods, finishing up the last of her Armagnac, before standing up. 

“Very well,” she taps around on her datapad, “Will you have a guest.”

“Yes” She wasn’t sure who, but no way she was going there by herself. 

The woman gives her another nod, “We look forward to seeing you, Ms. Alvarez,” and heads back out to her AV.

Once she’s out of the building, Evie places a hand on her shoulder, “You alright? You looked a little shaken up.” 

“That obvious?” Judy gets up and starts walking back toward her den. The Mox were all clearly listening in for gossip; she wanted to get out of here. By the time she left, there would be a pool on whether she would go work for Arasaka.

“Nah, I just know you.” 

They reach Judy’s den, and she instantly feels less on edge upon entering, “Man, this shit’s insane.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised. You’re one of the best” Judy edited all of Evelyn’s Braindance auditions. There were plenty of times where a rejection email for her included a job offer for Judy,  _ you weren’t quite what we were looking for, but we would love to get in touch with your editor _ . 

“You think I should invite Maiko?” 

Judy bites her lip nervously. On one hand, Maiko would love it, shopping at a high-end clothing store, staying in a luxurious suite, getting to play Corpo for a weekend? Sounded too perfect for her output; she’d feel bad not inviting her. On the other hand, Maiko seemed to never have time to spare for her. There was always something going on at Clouds. 

The time they did spend together usually came from Judy sneaking into her office. 

A part of her can’t help but acknowledge that if she told Miako what exactly she had going on this weekend, every problem at Clouds would miraculously no longer need her direct attention 24/7. 

“Hmm,” Judy ranted about her shambling relationship with Maiko enough times for Evelyn to understand her dilemma, “Be vague, just tell her you have a surprise planned for this weekend.” 

“Great idea, thanks.”

_ Present (May 27th, 2076) _

“Judy?” Evelyn’s concerned voice brings her out of her thoughts, “We can delta if you aren’t feeling well.”

Judy can’t help but smile at the comment. It makes her a bit happy that Maiko wasn’t there. She would’ve told her that she needed to get her shit together and get over it. 

Evelyn looked stunning in her white pencil dress with red trimming running up the sides. Judy was also looking rather dapper, sporting a white dress shirt and formal white pants; her shoes, tie, and belt were all red. 

It was clear Evelyn had deftly taken charge of their shopping trip at Jinguji. 

“I’ll be fine, Evie, I promise,” she glances around the room from her seat at the bar, “Just didn’t realize how many people would be here.”

Konpeki Plaza was filled with all sorts of people,  _ important people _ . She’d seen Mayor Lucius Ryne, Weldon Holt, ZiggyQ, Lizzy Wizzy; the list went on and on. This wasn’t like going to a tech convention. She was probably the only one here that was actually interested in the tech specs of the Braindances. 

She takes another sip of her champagne, still a little too high quality for her taste, but the effects were starting to kick in. “You should go mingle; this is your kind of scene.” 

“You sure?”

Judy nods reassuringly and lightly pushes Evelyn away from the bar. “Go, people will think you’re unavailable if you hang around me all night, Evie.” There were plenty of looks that had been sent their way, mostly at Evelyn. 

“Alright, call if you need anything,” she says, finally caving into Judy’s request, and with that, she disappears into a sea of people, leaving Judy alone at the bar. 


	2. Friends in High Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy, the introvert, making some friends.

Evelyn’s been gone a while now, and Judy was still at the bar, currently going through the showcase’s schedule. 

She was already rather intrigued with what exactly was going to be so advanced about these BDs. When they first walked in, she and Evelyn were instructed to jack in their personal links to Konpeki’s system for a data scan. She took a look through the data transfer report afterward and discovered the data gathered was identical to the data Clouds collected from their clients. 

_ Why the scan? Especially a scan meant to engage with your brain’s theta waves, that’s all subconscious stuff. Checks out for dolls, chip’s AI is designed to cater to a client’s “deepest desires''. Braindances are all about experiencing events through the senses, like a memory, a vivid one, nothing subconscious about it. What could they possibly be accomplishing with this... _

It was a tad bit frustrating not being able to figure it out. It made her fingers twitch, missing the familiar feeling of her editor gloves. She’d never thought about trying to combine braindance tech with a doll chip before. Now she was curious; she’d have to add it to her list of ideas. 

“Excuse me.”

She looks up and sees a man dressed in an all-black suit with a white dress shirt. He’s leaning against the edge of the bar, making a gesture toward one of the bartenders. There’s something oddly familiar about him, though she can’t quite place his face.

He catches her eye and flashes a friendly smile, “Hey, so what’re you in for?”

  
  


“What am I in for? That your best pick-up line?” It’s a snarky response, but she’s learned it’s the easiest way to deal with unwanted attention.

  
  


“Ah, sorry,” he lifts his hand to show off the wedding band, “Not a pick-up line, I was just curious.”

She quirks an eyebrow, “Why so curious?”

“Eh, everyone's in here for one reason or another; shady dealings, good publicity, status quo...” 

The bartender’s there now, waiting for an order. The man pauses in order to address him, “Two Centzons, neat please.” his eyes cut back over to her, “or three perhaps?”

“Sure.” Her glass of champagne was still full, and she could use a real drink. 

“Three then and make one a double, thanks.” The bartender gets to pouring their drinks, and the man turns his full attention back to her. He sticks out his hand, same friendly smile in place, “Jefferson Peralez, a pleasure to meet you.”

Peralez, Peralez, even his name was familiar, but she still wasn’t sure why. 

“Judy, likewise” She shakes his hand, this guy was alright so far, “I guess you could say I’m in for the BDs.” 

“Interesting, a big collector? Here for the latest and greatest?”

“More like a total tech-head, I’m more interested in the specs than anything else” A Centzon filled glass is placed down in front of her, and she gratefully takes a sip of it. “I work at Lizzie’s Bar, edit the BDs there.” 

“Ah, I se ** _—_** ”

“You aren’t being a bother, are you, love?” 

A woman in a black dress walks up to them, a sweet smile on her face. Jefferson’s eyes light up at her arrival, his adoration for the woman shining clearly in a loving gaze. 

Huh, so he was married and looked to be happy too. A happy marriage wasn’t a common sight in Night City.

“Hello dear, this is Judy,'' the woman takes a seat, “Judy, this is my wife, Elizabeth.” 

Elizabeth also has a genuinely friendly smile, “Nice to meet you, Judy. As I was saying,” she gives Jefferson a knowing look, “I hope he’s not bothering you, Jeff sometimes forgets that not everyone’s as social as he is.”

“Hey, I just remember what it's like.” He quips, “First time at an event like this can be overwhelming.” 

“How’d you know it’s my first time?”

“He’s been in your shoes before,” Elizabeth answers, “Jefferson’s a Heywood boy, born and raised. We both came from low-income families, actually.”

Jefferson nods in agreement, “We were lucky enough to get into Asukaga University on Night Foundation scholarships, first met at an event similar to this one.” He gestures towards Judy’s full champagne flute, “All these years, and it’s still a little too preem for my taste.”

Judy was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Who in Night City was ever this genuinely nice? 

“Asukaga? You a lawyer then?” She remembered hearing about the school back when.—she stops the thought. No need to go down that line of thinking. 

“Was a lawyer, I work for the City Council now, and Elizabeth…”

“I quit my firm once Jeff got into politics,” She continues, “but I still do contract work occasionally, mostly Pro Bono cases. I love the rush of being in a courtroom.” 

_ Ms. Alvarez, Unfortunately, due to your recent conviction, we will have to disqualify you from **—** _

There it was. He worked on the City Council. It was something that she could absolutely hate about this guy. She also was finally able to place where she knew him from. 

“City Council, huh,” eyes hardened, “Just when I was starting to think you weren't all that bad.”

“Sorry, I know we don’t have the greatest reputation,” Jefferson winces, “Maybe I can help you out? What was the problem?”

“Got busted when I was sixteen for ‘stealing’ a fire truck” She folds her arms, still glaring, “Truth is I found it in a scrapyard and fixed it up, but the city rejected my appeal.”

“Hmm, Jeff could probably get your appeal through,” Elizabeth chimed in. “If not, we can take it to court.”

That wasn’t quite the response she had been expecting, just who were these two people. 

It makes her skeptical; there had to be a catch somewhere. “Just like that, you’re going to help me?” 

“I’ve got a good feeling about you, Judy.” Elizabeth smiles, “Who knows, maybe we’ll be needing your help in the future.” 

“Trust me, Liz tends to be right about these kinds of things.” His eyes glow a faint blue, and she receives a notification from her interface. 

**///Data Transfer Request**

**Contact Details: Jefferson Peralez & Elizabeth Peralez**

**Accept or Decline///**

_ Accept _

**[Transfer Accepted: Jefferson Peralez and Elizabeth Peralez added to your contacts.]**

**{Send Contact Information for Judy Alverez?}**

_ Yes _

**///Data transfer accepted….Sending Contact Information///**

**{Transfer Complete}**

  
  


A series of chimes go off, and she checks her interface for the time, 7:55 pm. The showcase would start in 5 minutes.

“I believe that’s our cue” Jefferson puts down his empty glass, “It was nice talking to you Judy, we’ll be in touch.”

“Yes, it was a much needed break from politics all night,” Elizabeth stands, “I hope you enjoy the show, till next time.” 

With that, they both walk off, and Judy is once again left alone at the bar, still not quite sure how any of that just happened.

Evelyn wouldn’t believe it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jefferson and Elizabeth are two of my favorite characters, hope I did them justice. They never explain how Judy knows them and I thought this would be an interesting meeting point.

**Author's Note:**

> Never realized how difficult ending a chapter could be. Hope you enjoyed it, there's definitely more where that came from. Feel free to ask any questions.


End file.
